CM Storm Scout II review: too little, too late

Scout II improves upon the original, but not enough

By David van DantzigMonday June 10, 2013 09:58 AM

Introduction

Under the name CM Storm, Cooler Master carries a number of products for gamers such as headsets, keyboards and also computer chassis. The CM Storm Scout was recently updated, and we tested the Advanced version. The sturdy grips indicate it's made for being moved around, to LAN parties for example. With the white or grey color scheme it definitely stands out. It will be interesting to see whether the second edition of the Scout cools well enough and how loud it gets.

The first Scout came out in 2009, so we can understand the need for a successor. We really liked the original one at the time, even if there was room for improvement in terms of cable management. The rail system for the hard disks also wasn't completely vibration-proof, and the air flow was impeded by the placement of the hard disk cage. There wasn't a ton of space either, a large ATX board and PSU would push it. Nevertheless, we gave it the Silver Award.

Our expectations are much higher than they were in 2009, and the old Scout doesn't really live up to those. It will be interesting to see how Cooler Master improved the design.

The Scout II exits in two versions, a normal and an Advanced edition. The latter has two instead of one fan. The white (Ghost White) version is equipped with white LEDs on those fans. In the other versions they're red.

The prices of the various versions range from $99 to $144. It's comparable to the popular CM 690 II, sold by Cooler Master instead of the CM Storm.

Comparing

We compared the Scout II to a large number of other, similarly priced models. We also included a few really good ones that are a little cheaper or a little more expensive. The external dimensions would have you believe the Scout II is pretty big inside, but looks can be deceiving due to the large grips that increase the dimensions. When we exclude those the dimensions are more typical. The Scout II is three centimeters wider than the original, and the depth and height have increased by about two centimeters.